Spring Band Concert

If looks could kill! At the end of every band concert, Natalie's band director tells all the students to stand up one instrument section at a time, so that the parents can take pictures of their little darlings. Since Natalie is in the percussion section, and they are in the very back of the band, he also makes them walk to the front, stay a bit, then walk back, since otherwise it would be difficult to get a good picture of them. Additionally, Natalie never looks at me or my camera, so I've stopped bringing my big camera to the concerts.

This time, I decided to take a series of quick burst photos (36 in all), by leaving my finger on the shutter release button on my phone camera. In a few of them, I was able to catch a glimpse of Natalie giving me the stink-eye as she walked towards where Patrick and I were sitting. This one is probably the clearest one. I think Natalie looks beautiful, despite her shooting daggers at me with her eyes. :)

I prefer to think she looks happy in this photo. She was probably feeling a little embarrassed about walking to the front of the band. The concert part was pretty short. They combined the Concert, Symphonic, and Honors Bands for the performance. They all played during the first piece, "Creepy Crawlies". The top 2 bands, the Symphonic and Honors Bands played "Plaza de Toros". Natalie is in the Honors Band, which is the top band. They played a fanfare when the top boy and girl for 7th grade and 8th grade awards were announced, and they also played "Game of Thrones" theme song.

Natalie is trying to decide what classes she wants to take next year, and Band is just one of the electives she is trying to decide on. The other two are Journalism and PALS. We're not exactly sure what PALS is, but according to Natalie, is a class where she helps other kids, maybe tutoring? She enjoys band, and she has a lot of friends in it, but she knows she can't be in band in high school, because she plans on swimming. She had to apply for Journalism and PALS, so she doesn't want that work to go to waste. She'll be making the decision (with some help from us and her counselor) in the next week.

Speaking of swimming, Natalie's AAAA Northside Swim Banquet was this past Saturday. Natalie got this certificate (with her best times) and medal when she checked in. She met up with some of her old friends, and Patrick and I sat down with the few people we still know that are there (others have left for various reasons). Natalie had specifically asked to go to this banquet, but after a few minutes, she came up to us in tears and said that she wanted to go. That just broke my heart. She said she felt "different"--still not sure exactly what she meant by that, but she was moodier than usual anyway, because of that time of the month. In any case, I wish she would get better so her life is normal again. It's been a long struggle, and we're afraid of the psychological fallout. At least she has found some happiness in band, and I hope she stays in it for another year.